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What is the health mark?

The health mark is the oval shaped symbol that can be found on all animal products that comply with the European Community Safety laws on food. This symbol guarantees that the company which last processed or packaged the product fulfills the hygiene standards defined by the EU. The health mark is not primarily meant for customers but as a monitoring aid for food safety surveillance authorities. It also does not indicate the origin of the food because the location of the farm that provided the raw product is not encoded in this symbol.

The health mark contains:

the country code
the approval number of the processing facility
the letters EC for European Community or their equivalents in the other EU languages

Why would I want to check the health mark?

Unfortunately, there is no EU-wide identification mark that allows any conclusions where the food we eat is actually coming from (or whether it is from a small farm or a large scale operation). However, the health mark can provide us with some additional information about the product:

1. The name of the producing company. Big operations often sell their products as their own brand but also as so-called store or house brands which are re-named by other companies and sold as a seemingly different product. It is often possible to buy the exact same product (milk, e.g.) under two different names at two different prices in the same supermarket. By checking the health mark you could save money by buying the cheaper product. Or if you do not want to buy the products of a certain company, you can check the health mark to make sure a product is not a house brand (maybe ‘private brand’ is better) of the company you are trying to avoid.
2. The location of the processing company. On the map you can see the location, its surrounding environment and the size of the company
3. The distance the product has to travel to the supermarket or shop you can buy it from. This gives an indication of how big the carbon footprint of this product might be.

Where can I find the health mark?

There is no strict rule where the health mark is located on a product. But there are some places on packages where it can be found most frequently:

1. Next to other pictograms, e.g. the green dot.

2. Next to the barcode.

3. Next to the declaration of weight.

But sometimes the only way is to turn the package until you find it.

I have an animal product without a health mark. Why is that?

If the product was produced or processed in a retailing operation (like butchers, supermarkets or large scale catering establishments) and directly given to the end consumer the health mark is not compulsive.

How do I have to enter the code?

First choose the country the product comes from by clicking on the upper field within the health mark. You will see a list of countries that are already included in our database. Illustration!

Then enter the rest of the code stated on your product excluding the abbreviation for the European Community (EC or equivalents).

The only rules are:

1. You have to use spaces instead of dashes.

For example: instead of AB-CD-134 use AB CD 134
2. If you are getting to many results, try abandoning dashes as well as spaces
For example: instead of AB-CD-134 use ABCD134

3. If there are points in the code. Type points or spaces.

For example: for 01.551.212 you can type 01.551.212 or 01 551 212

but not 01551212

We apologize for the fussiness and are trying our best to make the code entering more convenient in the future. If you cannot find your product although you followed these rules please leave us a message. We will try to find it for you.

How do I use the map?

We currently use google maps on our website. If you are familiar with google maps there should be no difference in usage or functionality. If not, here are some basics:

1. with the arrows in the left upper corner of the map you can slide the map into the different directions. You can also do that by clicking and dragging the map.

2. the plus and minus in the left upper corner can be used to zoom in or out but you can also use your mouse wheel to zoom

3. the red marker is the location google determined for your search entry. If you click on this marker you will get some additional information.

Why would I browse the map?

By browsing the map you can get an idea of the density of establishments in different regions. You can also search for all sites of a company in all of Europe. You can search by country, name, section, postal code, city or a combination of those. At the bottom of our site we placed some examples so you can get an impression.

Why would I browse the table?

Google maps only shows 500 locations at the same time. So if you want to get a complete overview on where the different business locations for a company are or how many health marks or sections the business holds you can browse the table. You can search by country, name, section, postal code, city or a combination of those. At the bottom of our site we placed some examples so you can get an impression.

I entered a code but nothing could be found. Why is that?

Please double check if you entered the code correctly and that you followed the rules for entering the code. If you still don't get any results please leave us a message.

Sometimes the code can't be found in the original lists either but we will check them for you to make sure that there isn't a mistake on our side. If you leave your email address we will get back to you.

I entered a code but there is more than one result. What do I have to do?

Sometimes there is more than one result when you enter the code. You can see different health marks and locations on the map. To find the location of your product please click on the health mark that contains the code on your product. You will be directed to the establishment you were looking for.

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